WASHINGTON (March 1, 2013) – The U.S. State Department today released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline proposed to pass through the United States from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. As the Natural Resources Defense Council starts to analyze this draft environmental review, NRDC Canada Project Director Danielle Droitsch issued this statement:

“The facts remain absolutely clear: the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is not in our national interest. Mining the tar sands would be a disaster for our climate. Piping it through the heartland would put our ranchers and farmers at risk. And sending it to the Gulf only makes our country a dirty oil gateway to overseas markets. It’s not in our national interest. It’s a bad idea. It needs to be denied.”

For more information, see this blog by NRDC International Program Director Susan Casey-Lefkowitz:

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.